| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
EMI |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
CDMB
49801 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
077774980128 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
78:38,
67:37 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1989 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
APRIL
10, 1990 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
ANDREW
PARROTT |
| ORCHESTRA: |
TAVERNER
PLAYERS |
| CHOIR: |
TAVERNER
CHOIR |
| SOPRANO
I: |
EMMA
KIRKBY |
| SOPRANO
II: |
EMILY
VAN EVERA |
| ALTO: |
MARGARET
CABLE |
| COUNTERTENOR: |
JAMES
BOWMAN |
| TENOR: |
JOSEPH
CORNWELL |
| BASS: |
DAVID
THOMAS |
|
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Sinfony. Grave - Allegro moderato
2. Accompagnato. Comfort ye my people
3. Air. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed
5. Accompagnato. Thus saith the Lord of
Hosts
6. Air. But who may abide the day of His
coming
7. Chorus. And he shall purify
8. Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall
conceive
9. Air. O thou that tellest good tidings
to Zion
10. Accompagnato. For behold, darkness
shall cover the earth
11. Air. The people tha walked in darkness
12. Chorus. For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa. Larghetto e mezzo piano
14. Recitative & Accompagnato. There
were shepherds / Recitative. And the angel
said unto them
15. Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
16. Air. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion
17. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the
blind be open'd
18. Air. He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd
19. Chorus. His yoke is easy, his burthen
is light
20. Chorus. Behold, the Lamb of God
21. Air. He was despised
22. Chorus. Surely, He hath borne our
griefs
23. Chorus. And with His stripes we are
healed
24. Chorus. All we like sheep have gone
astray
|
DISC TWO
1. Accompagnato. All they that see
Him, laugh Him to scorn
2. Chorus. He trusted in God
3. Accompagnato. Thy rebuke hath broken
His heart
4. Arioso. Behold, and see if there be any
sorrow
5. Accompagnato. He was cut off out of the
land of the living
6. Air. But Thou didst not leave His Soul
in hell
7. Chorus. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
8. Recitative. Unto which of the angels
9. Chorus. Let all the angels of God
worship Him
10. Air. Thou art gone up on high
11. Chorus. The Lord gave the word
12. Air. How beautiful are the feet
13. Chorus. Their sound is gone out into
all lands
14. Air. Why do the nations so furiously
rage together
15. Recitative. He that dwelleth in heaven
16. Air. Thou shalt break them
17. Chorus. Hallelujah!
18. Air. I know that my redeemer liveth
19. Chorus. Since by man came death
20. Accompagnato. Behold, I tell you a
mystery
21. Air. The trumpet shall sound
22. Recitative. Then shall be brought to
pass the saying
23. Duet. O death, where is thy sting
24. Air. If God be for us
25. Chorus. Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain... Amen
|
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SITE RATING: 9/10
SITE
REVIEW: I purchased
this performance of Messiah as part of a boxed
set (paired with Israel In Egypt) and found
the interpretation to be completely masterful.
Besides the crystal clear intonation of the
chorus and orchestra, the spot-on tempos
(neither racing fast nor ponderously slow),
there is the delicious Emma Kirkby on soprano,
the pitch-perfect James Bowman as
countertenor, David Thomas as an authoritative
Bass, Joseph Cornwell singing a heroic,
passionate tenor, and Margaret Cable's creamy,
moving Alto solos. But the true heroes of this
rendition of Messiah are the Taverner Choir
and Players, who, under the sure direction of
Andrew Parrott, play and sing as one united
unit. The sound is remarkably balanced and the
performance clean and nuanced. This is a
"historically-informed" recording, with period
instruments and baroque mannerisms intact.
It's lovely in every detail; and of my
twenty-odd recordings of Messiah, it ranks in
the top three. Essential - and without
reservation can be recommended by me as a
first choice for buyers looking for a complete
Messiah.
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